


Worst In Me

by cxlesstial



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Clouis, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Highschool AU, I'm Bad At Tagging, Older Clementine (Walking Dead), PLEASE READ IT IM BEIGGING YOUI, Really bad at Tagging, aj is in first grade, clem IS baby i said what i said!, clementine and louis, ericsons is a normal highschool!, eventual clouis lmao, gang is in highschool, highschool, i dont know how to tag leave me alone, ill tag more later ig, lee is clems dad, louis angst, please i just love them so much, slow burn???, theres a pizza place because who doesnt like pizza, they're all gonna become friends, they're all regular highschoolers and the school is a lot bigger, this is my first fanfic on ao3 wow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2020-05-14 11:31:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19272397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cxlesstial/pseuds/cxlesstial
Summary: “This, my lovely friends, is Clementine!” Brody reveals with a toothy grin. “She moved from Georgia. New kid.”“Hi, Clementine! Name’s Louis,” dreadlocks gives her a grin, kissing her hand instead of shaking it like a normal person. Clementine felt a variety of emotions pass through her in an instant, but she grins nevertheless. She’s gonna like these kids.-or!!clem moves from georgia and falls in love with her new home, her new friends, and a certain kid with dreadlocks :)





	1. Love Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> clem's pov

God, Clementine was _not_ ready for this.

Sitting in her father’s minivan with her little brother in the backseat. Struggling to stay calm as she looked out at the very unfamiliar campus. How did she get here?

“Sweetpea?” Lee’s voice jarred her from her thoughts. Her surrogate father reached a hand out and brushed her curly dark hair away from her face. “You ready?”

“Yeah, okay.” Clementine returned, trying not to betray how unprepared she really was. Moving away from Georgia had taken a bigger toll on her then she had let on. She took a deep breath, partially to convince her family that she was going to be okay, and partially to reassure herself. “I can do this.”

“That’s the spirit, Clem!” Lee grinned.

“Good luck, Clem!” AJ piped up from the back. Like her, he would be starting out in a new school. She worried about him _constantly_. Being the new kid was going to be hard enough for her, imagining how AJ was going to survive was almost torturous.

“Good luck in 1st grade, goofball!” She smiled, reveling in the fact that yes, she really did have the best family ever. “Love you both, okay? Stay safe.”

“Tacos tonight!” Lee reminded her as she made to close the passenger car door. “And Clem, honey, try to make some new friends, alright?”

“Uh, yeah! I’ll try.” Clementine replied. But, as she walked towards the office to get her schedule, she felt another pang of anxiety. This was either gonna be a fantastic year, or a huge bust.

\--

“Hey! Clementine, right?”

The voice made her blood freeze. She wasn’t expecting anyone to actually talk to her. In anatomy class, more or less. Clementine turned towards the voice, nodding slightly. “Yep, that’s me.”

“That’s such a pretty name! I’m Brody!” said girl smiled. “New girl, right? I pride myself on knowing everyone in our graduating class, but I’ve never seen you before.”

“Yeah,” Clementine shrugs a little. “Probably because I moved here last week.”

“Not to be biased, but I’m glad you came here. Delta sucks ass.” Brody sits down across from her, setting her hydro flask on the table gingerly.

“Delta as in…”

“Our rival school. Believe me, once you’re around here long enough, you’ll get what I’m talking about.”

“Duly noted.” Clementine laughs, leaning back into her chair to study Brody closer. She had short brown hair and piercing eyes, but she seemed genuinely easy going and friendly.

“Not to be weird or anything, but do you have anywhere to sit during lunch?” Brody asks some twenty minutes later. The conversation had lulled comfortably, and Clementine had gone back doodling into her sketchpad. Currently she was drawing her old friends Duck and Sarah; she hoped they were doing alright.

“Actually, yeah. The bathroom stall sounds good,” Clementine says sarcastically, sketching the enterjectic smile Duck usually trained on her.

Brody giggles. “No, actually! You can come sit with my friends and I!”

“What, really?” Clementine gaped, blinking at Brody in surprise. “Seriously?”

“‘Course I am!” Brody retorts. “Wait over by the flagpole, I’ll come find you.”

Clementine forced herself not to smile too big as she walked to her next class.

\--

“If you didn’t finish the worksheet, it’s homework!” Clementine heard her English teacher shout over the sound of twenty something kids packing up. Slipping the paper into the turn in tray, she shouldered her backpack and left the classroom. All of her classes were relatively easy so far, with her hardest class being (unsurprisingly) math.

Her curly hair pinched precariously in her pigtails, so she hesitantly took them down. Letting her hair brush against the nape of her neck, she adjusted her backpack and headed towards the flagpole out in the middle of the courtyard. Ericson’s was really easy to maneuver.

“Hey, Clem!” Brody stood with her back against the flagpole, sporting an inviting smile. “Ready for lunch?”

“Depends,” Clementine smiles, joining her. “You guys have good lunch, right?”

“Nah, but Omar does! Come on, let’s go meet the gang!” Brody beckons, heading towards another building. Clementine follows in anticipation, hoping that this Omar wouldn’t mind sparing, like, a granola bar or something.

“This is our auditorium, but we use it as a lunchroom, too. Of course, you could sit outside if you wanted too, but it’s super hot outside most of the year, so we sit in here until November…” Brody rambles. “Sorry, I talk a lot.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s fine. I talk a lot too.” Clementine opens the door for her, and they head inside.

“Never would’ve guessed,” Brody says playfully. Clementine places her hand over her heart, wounded.

“You guys! It's BRODY!" 

“Marlon?” Brody grabs Clementine’s hand and pulls her along to a table. The kid who spoke originally, a blonde guy with an _awful_ haircut, stands up and hugs her.

“Hey, Brody!” Another guy stands up, dreads handing partially in his face. “Vi with you?”

“Nah, she has B lunch,” Brody explains. “So does Mitch, Sophie, and James. And Minnie.”

“Damn. I needed to yell at her for stealing my pencil.” his gaze slides from Brody to Clementine. “Who’s this?”

“This, my lovely friends, is Clementine!” Brody reveals with a toothy grin. “She moved from Georgia. New kid.”

“Hi, Clementine! Name’s Louis,” dreadlocks gives her a grin, kissing her hand instead of shaking it like a normal person. Clementine felt a variety of emotions pass through her in an instant, but she grins nevertheless. She’s gonna like these kids.

“That’s Marlon,” Louis points to the blonde kid from before, who raises a hand in greeting. “That’s Ruby and Aasim, they’re our friend group couple,” he continues, and the two in question roll their eyes. “That’s Omar, an absolute legend.”

“Hi, Clem,” Ruby’s voice is oddly Southern, but it suits her. Omar and Aasim offer smiles and scoot over so she can sit down. Clementine takes a seat next to Ruby and across from Louis. Brody chooses the seat next to Marlon, leaning against him with a content beam.

“Oh no,” Louis raises his eyebrows as he glances down the table at them. “Are Ruby and Aasim getting replaced _already_? On the first day of school, too?”

“Oh my god, Louis, can you just shut up,” Aasim groans, but his eyes betray him as he peeked over Ruby to gaze at Marlon. “Brody, huh?”

“Hey, it’s not like the signs weren’t there,” Marlon shrugs. “You guys just never check Instagram.”

“Oh, that’s true,” Omar chuckles. “I don’t even think Aasim has Instagram. Apple?” he asks Clementine, and she takes it gratefully with a nod.

“I have Instagram, thank you very much.” Aasim retorts. “I’m just not a phone addict like you, Marlon.”

“Anyway, moving away from my love life, where are we doing the meet up, anyway? Or are we even doing it this year?” Brody questions.

Clementine felt something in her chest freeze. Anytime anyone brought up the words “meet up” she usually got left out of the rope of things. She stared at her apple, feeling the first buds of anxiety strike.

“Of course we are, silly. I think we’re going to that one pizza place on Arrow and Greenfield. Oh, yeah, someone should add Clem to the groupchat before I forget.” Ruby responds promptly. 

“I’ll do it,” Louis pulls his phone out. “Clem, you have Instagram, don’t you?”

“‘Course I do,” Clementine can barely speak as the happiness that blossomed in her chest spreads up her throat. They want to spend time with her? Her of all people? Was she dreaming? “What kind of millenial do you think I am?”

“Forgive me, I thought you were another Aasim,” Louis protests. Aasim firmly puts his head against the table and mutters curses that Lee would have _killed_ her for using.

Lee. Oh god, Clementine almost forgot. Digging her phone out of her backpack, she finds Lee’s icon and presses ‘call’. “Mind if I call my Dad?”

“Go ahead,” Brody reassures.

Stepping away from them, she waits for the call to pick up.

“Lee?” she asks as soon as the call connects.

“Hey sweetpea, what’s up?”

“Well, I...I made some friends. They’re super nice and I’m sitting with them at lunch.They want to go to that pizza place tonight, you know the one we passed on the way in? Is it okay if I go with them?”

“Oh, uh, absolutely! Wow, Clem, that was fast,” came Lee’s response. “Guess you took my words to heart, huh?”

“Please, I’m sure AJ has, like, fifty friends already. Don’t patronize me!” Clementine laughed. Sobering up, she added, “I’m super sorry I’m missing taco night, Lee.”

“Don’t worry about it, honey,” Clementine could hear his smile through the phone. “Go enjoy yourself, but be back before eleven. It’s a school night.”

“Of course! Thanks, Lee.” she replied, feeling another bout of affection for her father figure. “Tell AJ I love him.”

“Always,” Lee said. “Love you, Clem.”

“Love you too,” Clementine hung up, walking back to rejoin her table group. “I can come.”

“Good for you!” Louis looks pleased. “What’s your Insta?”

“Here, let me see your phone, I’ll type it in.” Clementine felt good, better than she’s felt in a long time. Maybe this place isn't so bad.


	2. Bubble Gum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> clem's pov

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur, which was...strange. Before she knew it, it was the last class of the day. She had scraped through with only a permission slip for Lee to sign - the senior trip at the end of the year. Clementine walked into her Economics class...and was immediately smiling as she recognized Louis and Ruby.

“Hi Clem!” Ruby waved, moving over so they could sit at the same table. Clementine plopped down with a little sigh. Louis glanced up from his writing and snorted.

“What?” Clementine asked. Louis shrugged, mirth bubbling in his eyes.

“How convenient! Knew you couldn’t stay away from me!” he cackled. Clementine felt a blush rising to her cheeks. Even Ruby chuckled.

“Louis, don’t terrorize her,” said a female voice behind her. She twisted to see another girl with cropped blonde hair shooting an annoyed look at said dreadlocked boy.  


“Hi, Violet! I had no idea you were taking Economics this year!” Ruby exclaimed. 

“I didn’t want to take it over the summer! Please, I go to bed at like, four in the morning. Do you really think I'd have the patience to suffer through that hell?,” Violet replied with an eye roll. “Let me guess, Ruby, you took summer school, didn’t you?”

“I’m not risking it, Vi,” Ruby sticks her tongue out, but Clementine can see the tint of red on her ears. “I’m graduating on time, thank you.”

“What’s up, Vi? Can I have my pencil back?” Louis twists his face into a hopeful expression. “Please? That was my only pencil. I found it on the ground.” 

“I lost it,” Violet states, deadpan. “I’ll buy you another one if you promise not to make any annoying jokes tonight.”

“I can’t promise that, Vi,” Louis protests. “Not with Clementine coming. I’ve gotta show off my best material.” 

“Oh?” Violet looks down to Clementine, surprise etched on her features. “She's coming?” When they nodded in confirmation, Violet sits in the only other desk, the one across from Clementine. “Nice to meet you, then. I’m Violet.”

“You too. I’m Clementine. Is this your daily drama?” 

“Yeah, unfortunately. Louis losing a pencil is probably one of the most exciting things happening all year.” Violet leans back, cracking her knuckles. Clementine inwardly disagreed. Only one day in and these people provided almost as much excitement as AJ.

“Louis, couldn’t you just ask your parents for another pencil? Or, like, buy a trillion?” Ruby cuts in. The boy in question suddenly looks uncomfortable.

“I’m not talking to them right now,” Louis says, twisting his fingers together absently. “Can I just borrow one of yours?”

Clementine could almost feel the dramatic change of mood. Ruby seemed to pick up on it almost immediately and pulled a spare pencil out of her backpack. When the bell rang...Clementine didn’t know whether to feel relieved or concerned. What was up with Louis? 

\--

“Do you have a car?” Violet asked Clementine as the four walked out of Economics. Clementine hesitated, wondering if they were going to make fun of her if she said no. Reluctantly, she shook her head.

“I have a license, but not a car. We had to sell it to move,” She sidestepped for a gaggle of freshman, suddenly wistful. What else had she left behind? Things more important than a car?

“Aw, it’s no prob! Ruby doesn’t have a car either, you guys could just ride with me.” Violet shrugs apologetically. “Sorry Lou, but I’m stealing Clementine.”

“Why are you sorry?” Louis asks, eyes widening significantly. “I have to give Mitch and Omar to worry about, thank you! Omar never learned how to drive, and Mitch blew his car up.”

“Mitch blew his car up?” Ruby gasped. “Seriously?” 

“Well, I’m not sure if it was on purpose,” Louis concedes. “Then again, Mitch is insane, so.”

“You guys are making me really excited to be your friends,” Clementine mutters. Ruby, Violet, and Louis laugh, pulling a giggle out of Clementine. She could get used to this.

\--

The ride to Barrow’s Pizza was...uneventful, if you didn’t count Violet yelling at her truck half the time and Ruby switching the radio to country and begging Violet to turn it up. When they finally got to the parking lot, Clementine’s fingers were white from clutching the seat so hard. 

“God, Vi, I’ve known you for less than a day, but I think you’re going to be the person who kills me,” Clementine feels half of the joints pop as she stretches.

“Leave me alone, Clem. Not my fault miss cowgirl over here heard her calling in the middle of the freeway,” Violet joins the two of them as they walk up to the restaurant. Clementine walks between the two of them to keep the peace - it looked like Ruby had a pretty serious comeback for that one.

“Hey guys, you made it!” a tall redheaded girl with a friendly smile opens the door before Clementine has the chance to. Violet immediately perks up, and Clementine is surprised with how much energy suddenly radiates from the blonde.

“Hi Minnie! This is Clementine, and...wait, you obviously already know Ruby. Clem, this is Minerva, my girlfriend.” Violet clarifies sheepishly.

“Call me Minnie,” Minnie grins. “You guys were the last to arrive, come on. We’re sitting at the regular table.”

“You guys come here often?” Clementine asks, following her in. 

“It’s kind of a...reunion. We’ve done this every first. First day of every school year is a pretty big first, obviously. But this is kind of like our safe area, yknow? Like Pops from Riverdale. We meet up here whenever,” Minnie explains.

“Please tell me you didn’t just make a Riverdale reference,” Violet groans. “Minnie, we talked about this, you can’t just bring up that cursed show…”

“Minnie, did you know that Jughead and Betty's actors are actually datin’?” Ruby adds. Clementine exchanged an eye roll with Violet. If Netflix was still relevant here, Clementine had a whole new set of problems. Lee had a serious case of Netflix addiction.

“Look, they’re finally here!” Clementine can hear Louis before she can see him. They round the corner and...wow. That’s a lot of pizza. She recognizes Aasim, Omar, Marlon, Brody...there was Louis, obviously. Another girl that looks like Minnie, except with longer hair. A guy with short brown hair and an entire pizza for himself, and a taller guy with a more mature, quiet expression. Clementine feels awkward as most of them look at her right off the bat. 

“Whats up, guys? This is Clementine, some of y’all already know her,” Ruby introduces her. “That’s Sophie, Minnie’s twin sister, that’s James,” she points at the subdued guy, who stares back at Clementine, thoughtful. “And, saving the best for last, of course...we have Mitch,” Ruby finishes, redirecting Clementine’s attention to the guy stuffing pizza into his mouth.

"The guy who blew up his car?” Clementine asked, speaking before she thought. The entire table burst into laughter, causing Mitch to glare at Louis.

“You just had to tell everyone, didn’t you?” he sighed.

“I had no idea it was a secret, bro,” Louis winks back. Then he looks at Clementine. “Come sit down, guys, we have plenty of room.” 

Ruby slides around the booth, settling next to Aasim. Clementine sits between Louis and Brody, while Violet and Minnie choose a seat together by Sophie. Feeling a grin on her face, Clementine reaches for a slice of pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no one:  
> me: they are going to BOND and they are going to be HAPPY and EAT PIZZA  
> -  
> also riverdale is pretty cursed but that's not going to stop me from watching every episode ok pleasde dont cancel me


	3. Someone to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lou's pov :)

“So, Clem,” Brody nudges her some twenty minutes later. “Care to tell us about yourself?”

Clementine, who had been laughing at Aasim and Louis bickering, seemed to freeze at the spotlight of everyone's attention. “What’s to tell?” she asked, “I’m really boring.”

“Awh, come on Clemmy!” Louis protests, who was sitting right beside her, enjoying his pizza. “You can’t be that boring!” 

“Well, I...I have a younger brother named AJ,” Clementine stammered. On sudden inspiration, she took her phone out, showing everyone her lockscreen. Louis looked at it curiously. Her and a younger kid, probably around five or six years old, smiled at the camera in the back of a truck. They were both sporting the Snapchat dog filter.

“He’s so cute!” Sophie gasps. “Minnie and I have Tenn, and Mitch has that one kid down the street...”

“Don’t bring up Willy,” Mitch complains. “Kid follows me around _everywhere_.”

“Well, yeah, of course he does,” Marlon says. “All you do is blow shit up.”

“Anyway!” Ruby interrupts before Mitch could respond. “Why’d ya leave Georgia?” 

It seemed to unnerve her, but she shrugged and struggled for an adequate response. “My...uh, my adoptive parents got divorced, so we had to leave. My dad got a job offer here, so we moved. I like it here, though! It’s a lot different from the big city I’m used to.”

“That’s cool,” Violet says. “Not like, your parents getting divorced or whatever, because that’s totally not cool. I meant... moving here.”

“Yeah,” Clementine agrees. “I wish we could have lived on the coast, though. I love the ocean.”

“We have a river!” Omar contributes with a grin. “It’s not as cool as the ocean, obviously, but it's pretty lit if you like swimming and fishing and all that.”

“Omar did you just use the words ‘pretty lit’?” Aasim asks tentatively.

“Yes, why?” Omar replied innocently.

“Why would the river be on fire?” Aasim rubs his head tiredly.

“He’s not talking about the river being on fire, ‘Sim,” Louis laughs, hijacking the conversation. “‘Lit’ is like saying something is cool, like...uh...the pizza’s pretty lit, right Marlon?”

“Sure, Louis.” Marlon contributes idly, helpful as ever.

“This is another millennial thing, isn’t it,” Aasim sighs. “I don’t understand you guys.”

“You say it like you’re not a millenial.” Violet squints suspiciously. 

“Please guys, I’m begging you...don’t tell him what dabbing is,” Clementine pleads. The entire table bursts into laughter, while Aasim just...looks visibly confused.

“What’s dabbing?”

 --

“Lou, can you take Clem home?” Violet sidles up to Louis after dinner. His friends were exchanging social media information with the brunette, and Louis can’t help but smile inwardly. He was surprised that they were warming up to her this quickly, but genuinely pleased nevertheless.

“Yeah, of course, but...why can’t you, Vi? Where are you going with Minnie tonight?” he winked suggestively. 

Violet punched his shoulder, but...was that the hint of a blush? “I literally hate you. I’m not just gonna...go off with Minnie. It’s a school night.”

“Aw, Vi, that’s never stopped you before!” he immediately ducks as Violet lunges at him. “I’m SORRY! NO, VI PLEASE! HELP ME!”

“Nope, you’re all on your own,” Clementine rolls her eyes. He hadn’t realized she’d walked up. “See you tomorrow, Vi?” 

“‘Course, Clem,” Violet says, reluctantly removing her chokehold on Louis’s dreads. “Don’t die.”

“Hey, idiot, I can drive!” Louis snarked. “It’s Mitch and Omar you have to worry about.”

“Mitch and Omar ARE cool, thank you very much!” Clem defends them, and the two boys offer surprised smiles at her. She’s won them over already, Louis realizes with a twinge of affection. 

“Fine, fine, whatever you say, beautiful.” Louis winks, turning away. “On the road again!” 

“Bye guys!” Clem shouts, grinning when their remaining friends waved in return. She calls shotgun when they get to the car and sits with a content smile. Omar and Mitch started talking among themselves, but Louis stayed quiet as he flipped his ignition on, watching Clementine from his peripheral vision. 

“Clem, where do you live?” Louis asks. Clementine thinks for a moment before answering, seemingly forgetting what street she lives on.

“Mulberry Road,” she says quietly. 

“Can I drop them off first? You live the farthest away,” Louis says. Clementine checks her phone (it’s 9:53) and nods. 

They drop Mitch off first, but only because his house was about three streets away. Omar lives within walking distance to the school, so he’s next...and suddenly it’s just the two of them in the car. Louis expected it to be painstakingly _awkward_ , but it’s nice. She hums along to the radio, making conversation, laughing at his jokes. She checks her phone again (10:09) and, out of nowhere (he really swears he didn’t see it coming), asks him a question that made his heart freeze. 

“Louis, remember earlier today? In economics?” she asks, watching him carefully for a reaction. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but…” she didn’t continue, breaking off the sentence nervously. Like she was afraid he would shout at her.

“Oh, Clem, it’s…” he doesn’t even know what to say, is afraid to actually respond. Maybe it was the shock of being asked? “It’s really complicated.”

“Tell me,” Clementine says, quiet but full of determination. Resolutely, he doesn’t even bother with the turn signal as he pulls over to the side of the road. Its deathly silent, silent enough to where he can feel his heart beating in his chest.

“I used to play the piano.” He steadies his breath before continuing. “My father didn’t approve. Thought I wasn’t serious about it. We, uh...got into fights all the time over it, drove my Mom crazy. Obviously that’s not the only reason why she left, but I could have made it easier on her. It’s all I obsessed over for years. I was so _selfish_ ,” he feels resentment rise erratically in his chest. 

“Louis.” Clementine whispers, but he’s not done. 

“I haven’t talked to Mom since she left. I just can’t do it. My dad’s barely home, and when he is, I’m not there. Maybe I deserve it, Clem.” he whispers. “I haven’t touched the piano in years.”

“Louis,” Clementine repeats, tone so forceful he feels compelled to look at her. “You aren’t a bad person. I’m not going to pretend to know all the details, but having a passion isn’t such a horrible thing.” she reaches out to touch his shoulder, and he lets her, hanging onto every word she says. “Anyone who doesn’t respect that isn’t worth your time.”

He nods tightly, looking out over the dashboard. His Mom bought him this car for his seventeenth birthday. He doesn’t think he’s ever thanked her for it.

“Violet, Ruby, Marlon...they don’t know?” Clem questions, although by the tone of her voice he can tell she already knows the answer. 

“I’ve never told them. Any of them. They come to me to make them laugh, how can I just burden them with my problems?”

“Louis, you aren’t just there for comedic relief!” Clem says, shaking her head. “Listen Lou, we care about you. I care about you, okay? And I’ve known you for less than a day.” she takes a staggering breath. “You’re important to people. To me, to Violet, to Marlon, to everyone else.”

He doesn’t know what to say to that, so instead of responding, he hugs her. It only takes half a second for her to hug back. He feels drained, but in a good way - happier. Pulling away, he grabs his phone, which had been forgotten in the console. “Clem, can I…”

She seems to realize what he’s asking for, and takes his phone with a grin. “Of course, Louis! Just a warning, though, I’m pretty horrible at iMessage games. You’ll slaughter me.”

He feels a smirk come to his face. “Damn right! I’m a legend at Cup Pong.”

When she gives him his phone back (with an eye roll, of course) he glances at her number with an unfamiliar feeling settling in his stomach. Shaking his head slightly, he turned on his favorite Spotify playlist, then switched the ignition again. As if on cue, Someone To You by the Banners starts playing. Clem claps her hands together in excitement, and he's surprised that she knows the words.

“Clem -

“I love this song!” she shouts, bobbing her head. “ I never had nobody and no road home, I wanna be somebody to someone…”

Laughing, Louis joins in as they reach the chorus. 

_ And if the sun's upset and the sky goes cold _

_ Then if the clouds get heavy and start to fall _

_ I really need somebody to call my own _

_ I wanna be somebody to someone. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i want to be a good writer grr
> 
> also louis is baby. he deserbes the whole wordl u can not convince me otherwise
> 
> ..im still figuring out how this site works whatf this is so annoying


	4. Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> louis's p.o.v :o

After he dropped Clementine off at her cute little Folk Victorian house, Louis fought the urge to burst into tears. Okay, well, maybe he cried a little bit. But it really wasn’t his fault, honestly! He hadn’t told anyone about his parents in...who knew _ how _ long. 

God, he didn’t even  _ know _ Clementine and he had already exposed his most vulnerable side. How did she do that? How did she just make him feel so  _ safe _ ?

_ Well _ , Louis thought as he turned up the streets, humming softly.  _ She asked. She seemed genuinely concerned. She cares.  _

A smile, more prominent than before, pulled itself to his face and wouldn’t leave. Even as he pulled in and saw his dad’s car on the driveway, he forced himself to remember Clementine’s words. He wasn’t in the wrong. Having a passion  _ wasn’t _ wrong.  

Slipping his car keys into his back pocket, he trudged up his driveway, trying not to look at his gorgeous lawn or his towering mansion like house. He  _ hated _ ,absolutely _ loathed _ being rich. It was why he couldn’t tell anyone his last name - he really just preferred to be a normal guy. His friends had long ago found about, but they didn’t care nor use it against him in any way, which he was eternally grateful for.

Carefully unlocking the door, he slipped inside, locked it behind him, and carefully stepped down the hallway to avoid detection. The lights were on, meaning someone else was awake in the house.  _ Just gotta get to the stairs. _

He should have known his luck wouldn't last. 

“First day of school and you’re already sneaking out, huh?” a deep voice caused Louis to physically recoil, back hitting the wall as the last person he wanted to see came into view. The fireplace crackled menacingly behind them. He fought to control his breath, maintaining his composure almost instantly.

“I wasn’t sneaking out, Dad. I went out with friends,” Louis snapped. “We do this every year on the first day of school.”

“It’s almost 11:30, Louis. The curfew is eleven, don’t tell me you forgot,” his Dad retorted, staring him down.

“Yeah, well, I drove a couple of my friends home. Don’t play the concerned parent game all of a sudden, either,” Louis took a step forward and looked him straight in the eyes. “We both know you haven’t been around long enough to fill that role for me.” 

Louis’s Dad stood, towering over him with a glare that could kill. “So disrespectful…” he mused softly, contrasting his cruel words. “What would your mother think?”

Louis didn’t back down. “I don’t know. Maybe  _ you _ should ask her, since you were the one that made her leave in the first place!” 

And then he was slapped. Hard. The force of impact caused Louis to stumble back, clutching the side of his face in shock as he tried to register the new pain in his cheek and the barely controlled hatred filling his father’s eyes. 

“When did you get so brave?” His father whispered, looking monstrous under the firelight, smirking when Louis instinctively shrinks back against the wall. Tears filled his eyes against his will and he forced himself to breathe. He needed to get out of there.

“I’m going to bed,” Louis managed, edging away from him. “Goodnight.” 

His father watched him walk away, not saying a word in return.

\-- 

Louis barely made it to his room before crumpling to the ground in tears. Fumbling with his phone, he scrolled through the contacts before stopping on Clem’s. After hesitating for half a second, he pressed  _ call _ and silently begged for her to pick up. 

It rang twice before clicking. “Hello?”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor lou :(
> 
> sorry this is so short yikes i have to work on my government packet i RLLY need the credit -- im taking summer school (like ruby) so i can graduate high school n get a jump start on college credits!


	5. Let's Hurt Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> clem's pov <3

“You were five minutes late.” AJ said as Clementine locked the door behind her. He glared up at her with his arms crossed.

“Hello to you too,” Clementine dropped her keys into the basket, where it joined Lee’s key ring. After some consideration, she hung her hat (the only memory of her parents she’d ever bothered to keep) on the little hook.

“I was _ worried _ ,” AJ puts emphasis on his words, frowning up at her. “What if you had gotten hurt? We don’t even know this place yet!”

“AJ, goofball,” Clementine crouched in front of her adoptive brother. “Do you see me breathing? Do I look okay?”

“Yes, and yes...but -

“Then there’s no reason to worry, is there?” she smiled, relieved when he smiled back hesitantly. He had gone through so much in his short six years. After his Dad had died tragically and his Mom passed during childbirth, Lee and Clementine had been the only two people in his life. “How was your first day in first grade?”

“Oh, it was great!” AJ exclaimed, seemingly forgetting about Clementine’s er.. _.late _ arrival. “I made some new friends - Connie and Tammy! They’re amazing, Clem! We played together during recess and shared gummy worms!” 

“That’s really cool, AJ!” she stood, following him deeper into the house. “I made some new friends too. Where’s Lee?”

“Here, sweetpea,” Lee called from down the hall. “AJ?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Why are you still up?”

“I was waiting for Clem!” AJ shot an apologetic glance to Clementine before running down the hall to his room. Clementine chuckled as Lee leaned into the hallway from his own room.

“Have fun with your friends, Clem?” Lee asked, beaming when Clementine nods. “AJ and I stocked the fridge up this afternoon. We got your lowfat milk.” 

“Thanks, Lee. We got a permission slip for the end of the year senior field trip, is it okay if I go?” she scoured her mind for anything else to tell him, but came up blank.

“‘Course, Clem. Slide it on the counter and I’ll sign it tomorrow, okay? Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Lee. Love you.”

“Love you back,” Lee shut his door softly, leaving Clementine to make her way to the kitchen. Dumping her backpack on the island, she pulled the form from it and placed it on the counter, where Lee would definitely see it. 

Pulling her phone from her jacket pocket, she plugged it in, leaning over it as she checked her notifications. A couple texts from Duck, a meme reaction photo from Sarah, and almost 100 new messages on Instagram from _ gangbang gang _ . Laughing quietly at the name, she clicked on the groupchat.

_ mrlon: did every1 have fun tonight :> _

_ brooody: yes, marlon. _

_ violentviolet: yea buddy _

_ rubyies: yall can u guys help me get aasim on here? He won't CHEK HIS PHONE . _

_ mrlon: ur on ur own there, ruby...im not taking his wrath tmrw… _

_ brooody: wimp _

_ violentviolet: imf. wheezing. _

Clementine giggled, typing out a message herself.

_ clxmentinemarsh: hi guys <3 _

_ mrlon: clementine! bby! _

_ brooody: omg clem,,!! _

_ violentviolet: clem! Hi! _

_ rubyies: hi clem!! _

_ cxlementinemarsh: ...u guys are so babey i love u all _

_ mrlon: ur. more babey what _

_ brooody: i lovf u more shuup _

_ rubyies: i. ur such a sunshine whad did we do to deserbe u  _

_ violentviolet: minnie says she loves u more,, gotta agree with her clem _

_ cxlementinemarsh: imcryind  _

_ cxlementinemarsh: wheres everyone else _

_ rubyies: either with dead phones or asleep...or with violet _

_ violentviolet: burn. _

_ rubyies: gladly! _

_ cxlementinemarsh: gusyf pleas im laughfinhg  _

_ cxlementinemarsh: im foing to bed tho gn guys _

_ violentviolet: see u tmrw clem! _

_ rubyies: gn clemmy _

She smiled, clicking her phone off. They were so _ wholesome. _

\--

Despite what she told her friends, she hadn’t gone to bed. She had her playlist on shuffle and was unpacking the rest of her things, making her light brown walls less barren. She had filled her bookshelf, lathered the corkboard with pictures, and placed her white fluffy rug over the wooden floor. She wasn’t tall enough to put the fairy lights up yet, but she figured she could enlist Lee for that task.

She stacked the empty moving boxes over by the door and jumped into bed, clicking her lamp off. After plugging her phone into her personal charger and turning the volume down, Clementine rolled over and shut her eyes. 

Her calm and serene music was suddenly interrupted by her ringtone, causing Clementine to roll back over and grab at it confusedly. A random number? She sat up, feeling the cold blue light that filtered in from her window wash over her. She hit  _ accept _ .

“Hello?” she asked blearily.

“Hi, Clem...it’s Louis.” 

Louis. She suddenly felt a lot more awake. “Are you okay?”

“My dad...he...oh my god,  _ Clem _ ,” he managed before dissolving into sobs. Clementine sat there, concern replacing her initial exhaustion as she listened to him fall apart. 

“Louis, Louis, breathe for me. It’s okay. I’m here for you,” she soothed him, scooting so her back was against the wall. It took awhile (and a lot of comforting on Clementine’s part) but he eventually regained enough control to explain what had happened. 

“Then he slapped me...and I couldn’t breathe, there was just so much pain and he just stood there with this  _ smile _ and it hurt so much - and then I ran up here and called you, and…” he stumbled off. “I didn’t know who else to call, I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“Louis, I already have a horrible sleep schedule, and you’re way more important. How do you feel right now?”

“Tired, but like...I can’t sleep. I’m sitting on the floor,” he laughed a little dryly. “I’m going to change clothes, okay?”

“I’ll be here,” Clementine responds softly, tracing her duvet carefully. She hoped she was helping Louis instead of hurting him. Her advice wasn’t always the greatest, per say. She was glad that Louis had stood up for himself, but...where did they go from there? Was Louis and his dad’s relationship salvageable? 

“Hey, I’m back.” Louis hummed into the receiver. 

“Hi back, I’m Clementine,” she blurted out. Then she realized how absolutely ridiculous that sounded, and face palmed audibly. Dead silence. Then, miraculously, Louis  _ laughed _ . 

“Did you just facepalm? From your own joke? Clementin -”

“You breathe a word of this to anyone, and I will  _ murder _ you,” Clementine tried and failed to keep a straight face, giggling along with him. 

“I’m really scared now,” Louis joked. The next silence was a comfortable one, one listening to the other breathe. “Clem?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For...literally everything? For inspiring me to stand up to him, and for talking to me even though we barely know each other. It means a lot to me.” Louis confessed.

“It’s no problem, Lou. Don’t worry about it,” she said affectionately. “I’ll always be here for you, okay? You can come to me about anything, I mean it.”

“Ditto for you, Clemmy,” Louis remarked sternly, but he yawned, so it wasn’t that threatening. He was obviously exhausted. As Clementine pulled the covers over her and pressed her head against the pillow, she wondered how she could get him to fall asleep. She plugged her phone back in and settled comfortably down against the sheets.

“If I sing for you, will you go to sleep?” she asked, tugging the phone back to her ear. Louis gasped, agreeing instantly. She heard him shuffle around before becoming oddly quiet. When she was sure he was ready, she opened her mouth, voice low and melodious. 

_ So you hit the lights and I'll lock the doors, _

_ Let's say all of the things that we couldn't before, _

_ Won't walk away, won't roll my eyes, _

_ They say love is pain, well darling, let's hurt tonight, _

_ If this love is pain, then honey let's love tonight. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song is let's hurt tonight by onerepublic <3


	6. Tattooed Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> clem's pov!

“I tried out for Ericson’s choir!” was the first thing out of Clementine’s mouth as she plopped down at their usual table. The weeks had passed almost alarmingly fast, and Clementine now felt at home with her friends and her school. It had been _ two whole months  _ into the school year, and the weather was ever steadily growing colder and crispier. Leaves had started crumbling off the trees, and Lee was making her and AJ wear jackets to school. 

_ “It’s a good thing you have so many sweatshirts,” Brody had said the first time her and Violet had come over. Brody had been rummaging through her closet. Violet snorted from her position on Clementine’s bed, tapping her fingernails against her Iphone case. _

_ “What do you mean? It’s all she wears,” Violet retorted, dodging the pillow Clementine threw at her with a laugh. _

“You tried out for  _ choir _ ?” Louis asked, dumbstruck. Omar slapped his arm. Aasim sighed, seemingly fighting off an eye roll. Louis raised his eyebrows quizzically. “What? I wasn’t expecting that, you guys!” 

“Lee was surprised, too,” Clementine shrugged, digging her Salt and Vinegar chips from out of her bag. ‘I haven’t been in choir since...since before Lee and AJ, I think.” 

“You’ll do great, Clem!” Louis grinned at her, and she could see it in his eyes that he really believed it. She chuckled, ignoring that swoop in her chest everytime he smiled at her. 

“Nice save, Lou.” 

“You guys!” Ruby was running to them from across the gym. She looked out of breath and downright miserable, and when she reached them she started pacing, too agitated to sit.

“What happened?” Aasim asked.

“It’s Marlon and Brody. They’re over,” Ruby became increasingly frustrated as she continued. “She said something about him hitting her, and I,  _ fuck _ , what the hell was I supposed to say?”

Clementine felt like she had been slapped in the face. Whatever they were expecting Ruby to say, that wasn’t it. “He _ hit _ her?” Louis gaped.

“Apparently!” Ruby snaps, running her hands through her hair. She looked close to tears. “I said I would go get help, but I just left her in the bathroom! I don’t know what to do!” 

“I’ll go,” Clementine stood immediately, reaching for Ruby’s arm. “She can’t be alone right now.” 

“Okay, uh. Come on, let’s go.” Ruby clutched to her arm like a lifeline, leading the way out of the auditorium and through the windy courtyard. They reached the bathrooms a minute later. 

“Brody?” Clementine asked, knocking on the door. The said girl opened it halfway, eyes puffy and sullen. 

“Clem?” Brody whispered, opening the door a little more. 

“Hi, Brody,” Clementine said slowly. “Can I come in?”

“I...okay.” Brody winced at how broken her own voice sounded. She backed away from the door, leaving Clementine to glance worriedly at Ruby.

“Stay out here, okay? Don’t let anyone else in.” Clementine whispered, satisfied when Ruby nodded determinedly. Clementine opened the door and stepped in cautiously. Brody sat on the counter by the soap dispenser, looking at nothing with tears rolling down her face. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Clementine stopped a respectable distance away. Brody hesitated before nodding. The girl, in turn, took a seat next to the girl, full attention on her friend. With a shattering breath, Brody began. 

“He isn’t a bad guy, Clementine. He just...doesn’t understand. He can’t handle it sometimes, he just gets angry, but...it isn’t his fault!” Brody raised her voice, daring Clementine to contradict her. “So we took a break. Just until he figures everything out.”

“Brody,” Clementine tried, but was cut off. 

“Even if he hits me, I’ll be there for him!” Brody says this more to herself, nodding vigorously at her own words. “It’s the right thing to do.”

“Brody!” Clementine matched her volume, gaining the girls attention. “Listen, okay? You don’t have to stay with him. If he hits you, hell...even  _ says _ something to you that's degrading or insulting, you don’t have to stay with him. You don’t have to put up with it if you don’t want to.”

“But - Clem, he needs help,” Brody mumbles, fresh tears making her way down her face. Clementine scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Brody was way too pure for her own good.

“We can get him help,” Clementine promised. “Professional help. Everything will be okay, alright?” She offered the taller girl a smile, and was relieved when Brody melted against her arm, giving her the most awkward side hug to ever exist (probably). “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Brody admitted, fidgeting with her shirt almost subconsciously. “I want to help him, but I need to look out for myself, too. Thank you, Clem. I really needed that.”

“It’s no problem, Brody. Come talk to any of us if things get hard, okay? We love you.” Clementine rubbed her back soothingly. “You hungry?”

“Very,” Brody confirms, hopping down from the counter, pulling her backpack on. “But...I can’t see Marlon right now.”

“Who said anything about going back to the table? Let’s leave,” Clementine flashed a grin at the auburn haired girl, eyes narrowing mischievously. “Let’s go get some good food. Real food!”

“First of all, Ruby would  _ never _ agree to leaving school. She’d drag us back before we got ten feet,” Brody says. “Second, we would totally get detention! Third, all you eat is McDonald’s, Clem.” 

“I hate McDonald’s!” Clementine gasped mockingly. “I think you’ve confused me with Vi, miss.”  She hopped down as well, striding towards the door. “No, we aren’t going to have fast food - we’re going back to my house. Lee made enchiladas last night, and we’re going to eat all of the leftovers before AJ can touch them.”

“Oh my god,” Brody smiled despite herself, which made Clementine sure that this was the right thing to do. Who cared if they missed class? She was pretty sure they were all at least passing, anyway. Plus, Brody needed it!

“Ruby, we’re ditching school.” Clementine announced as they left the bathroom. “Don’t try to stop us.”

“Stop you? Hell, I’m coming with you!” Ruby broke away from the wall, shoving her phone into her back pocket. When confronted with an eyebrow raise from Clementine, she backtracked. “I didn’t study for my physics test, okay? Don’t give me that look.”

“I’ll go get our backpacks,” Clementine grinned. “Go meet me by Brody’s car.”

\--

“You’re doing  _ what _ ?” Louis yelped as Clementine slung both her’s and Ruby’s backpacks over her shoulder. Aasim and Omar gave her similar looks of shock, but Marlon was still nowhere to be seen.

“Ditching school,” Clementine repeated. “Don’t wait up, we’ll be back...eh, tomorrow?” she smirked at the horrified look on Aasim’s face. 

“Why are you sneaking out? And how’s Brody?” Louis asked. “Should I talk to Marlon?”

“We’re ditching  _ for _ Brody,” Clementine rebuffed, becoming more serious. “She needs a break, so Ruby and I are gonna get her some real food and a place to relax. She’ll, uh, probably fill you guys in later, but she’s not doing the best right now,” she paused, looking at Louis. “Don’t say anything yet, Brody will make that call.” 

“Marlon’s still not here,” Omar scanned the cafeteria, coming up blank. “I think he’s avoiding us.”

“Probably for the best,” Aasim remarked. Louis sighed, stabbing his green beans half-heartedly. Then he looked up at Clementine.

“I’ll cover for you and Ruby in Ec,” he offered her that smile again, and Clementine pinched her wrist subtly so that swooping feeling in her chest would go _ away _ . “Even if I’ll have to be subjected to forty-five minutes alone with Violet.” 

“I owe you one,” Clementine chuckled, waving goodbye as she hurried to the door. 

As she left, she heard Aasim sigh. “I can’t believe I hang out with delinquents on a daily basis.”

\--

The ride to Clementine’s place was basically just blasting 5 Seconds Of Summer out of the open windows. Surprisingly, Ruby didn’t even complain about the music choice, instead switching between watching Brody and staring out of the window. Clementine, sitting in the back, was lowkey having an existential crisis the longer she was left alone with her thoughts. Where were her thoughts currently? A boy with dreads.

Not only was Louis funny, but he was sweet and had a vulnerable side. He was sweet. It didn’t help that either everyone knew him or knew  _ of  _ him, given his family name and his prominent attitude, and even more so that he tried so hard to erase that stigma that all rich people were snobby and uptight.

_ I can’t like Louis, I can’t like Louis, I don’t like Louis. No. I really don’t, brain, shut up. I don’t like him!  _

Oh, well. It wasn’t like he liked her back or anything. If she really liked him, it would plummet pretty quickly, like it did with Gabe. 

_ Gabe _ . She hadn’t thought about that idiot in months. He was a year behind, but only because the guy had caught up with the wrong crowd and failed junior year. They had gone out for a measly two months before she found out about his smoking addiction. Clementine never wanted to see him again.

The more she thought about it, only two people out of that entire family was still on speaking terms with her - Javi and Mariana. They were more like family, even after Lee packed them up and left Georgia for good. She missed them, just like she missed Sarah and Duck, Luke, and Kenny. She really hoped they were alright. 

“You okay back there, Clem?” Ruby asked, shaking her out of her thoughts. Clementine nods, biting her lip thoughtfully.

“Just thinking about Georgia,” she sighs.

“You should ask them to come down for your birthday,” Brody chipped in from the driver's seat. “We wanna meet your old friends.”

“Brody, my birthday isn’t right around the corner,” Clementine reminded her bemusedly.

“Well then, invite them to that Christmas Party you were planning,” Brody flipped her turn signal, glancing at the rear view mirror before switching lanes. 

Ruby guffawed, twisting in her seat to stare at the brunette. “Christmas Party?”

“Sophie brought it up last week on a whim, I thought it was a cool idea,” Clementine shrugged. “Doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen, though! It’s only October, we’ll probably forget all about it. Plus, I doubt they’ll come all the way down for a  _ Christmas Party _ .”

“They could stay for New Years, too!” Brody exclaimed. “It’ll be fun! With the way you talk about your past, Clem, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who wants to meet them.”

“Fair enough,” Clementine felt a grin tug at her lips.

About three minutes later, they pulled into her driveway. Nobody was home, but Clementine had sent Lee a quick text explaining what had happened with Brody. While Lee disapproved of the trio ditching school, he understood the situation. Mental health always comes first.

“Enchiladas, here we come!” Clementine shouted giddily, closing the door and running up to her front door. She could hear the collective laughter of her friends as they followed her inside. “I’m gonna go heat the food up, y'all can just...do whatever.”

“Hey, you got the fairy lights up!” Ruby shouted from the other side of the house, since she took the now familiar route to Clementine’s bathroom. “Did Lee help you with them?”

“No, Louis did!” Clementine yelled back, avoiding Brody’s gaze as the auburn haired propped herself against Clementine’s counter, watching her pull the sour cream from the fridge. “He came over on Saturday, because Lee had work!” 

“Louis, hm?” Brody smirked, raising her eyebrow. 

“Brody, don’t you dare,” Clementine warned, pointing her spoon at the girl threateningly. “I might just share all off these enchiladas with Ruby and not give you any!” 

“You wouldn’t,” Brody shot back. “This is my therapy session!” 

“You’re lucky I love you too much,” Clementine sighed dramatically, plopping the cold food into the microwave. “But, uh, if you couldn’t tell, there’s nothing going on between Louis and I.”

“Would you like there to be?” Brody asked, genuinely looking curious.

“Truthfully? Yeah. But at the same time I don’t know? Emotions are so  _ confusing _ ! He’s so nice and funny and he always makes time for me!” Clementine rants, wringing her hands. “He buys me snacks when I don’t have enough time to eat in the morning! He buys me  _ snacks _ , Brody!” 

“You’re hopeless,” Brody shakes her head with a giggle. “I’m just glad you finally told me! Everyone’s going crazy over you two.”

“Am I really that obvious?” Clementine whispers, mortified. 

“To us, yes,” Brody nods. “But to Louis? Hell, that boy couldn’t make it out of a paper bag on his own.”

They both laughed at that until the microwave interrupted them. Grabbing a few plates, they waited until Ruby joined them before stockpiling on the rest of the enchiladas. 

“Can we eat outside?” Ruby asked, unable to stop herself from taking a bite.

“Lead the way,” Clementine ushered with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even in the real, zombie-free world, Brody can't catch a break :( my poor baby
> 
> I don't know how I feel about the time gap,, but I'm kinda excited to see what'll play out! Clem develops a crush in the span of two months, but does Louis feel the same? What troubles are in store for these two and their friend group?
> 
> also i. i like gabe but he's so ANNOYING oh my godf
> 
> my thoughts are all over the place :( im so tired of summer school i just wish i could graduate high school and be done w it forever


	7. Bloom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lou's pov :v

 

What  _ had _ happened with Brody couldn’t be overlooked. If Marlon really was some psychotic abusive boyfriend or whatever, Louis didn’t think he could handle it if he didn’t at least try to figure out what had happened from Marlon’s point of view.

That’s why he had literally run across the school to talk to the blonde, because if the rest of their friends didn’t know where Marlon had gone, they  _ definitely  _ didn’t know about this place. He was missing fifth period, but he could care less.

Sure enough, Marlon was leaning against the back wall behind the school. Reluctantly stepping forward, Louis wondered how he should play this. Make a joke?  _ Nice, Louis, do you want to get your teeth knocked in?  _ Before he could formulate something super funny to say, Marlon spoke up. 

“Come to yell at me?” he snapped, raising hooded eyes to glare at his friend. “I don’t wanna hear it.” 

“I came to figure out what happened,” Louis replied, his breath catching as Marlon pushes himself off the wall to...oh. Glare at him better, he supposed. “I wanted to hear it from your perspective before I jump to conclusions.”

Marlon’s gaze softened ever so slightly. “Thank you, I guess.” A pause. “I’m not insane, okay? I don’t just  _ hit  _ people, even when they piss me off. Brody just...she got in my way, you get me?”

Louis didn’t know what to say to that, because  _ no, _ he didn’t get it. To be honest, this conversation had reminded him painfully of his father. His cheek flared slightly at that comparison.

He had taken too long to respond. “No, of course you don’t,” Marlon muttered, almost to himself. “Not with you running after Clementine.”

“What? What are you _ talking _ about?” Louis felt his throat catch painfully and tried to chase down the nervousness that suddenly appeared in his stomach. “What does this have to do with me and Clementine?”

“It has everything to do with you and Clementine, Louis!” Marlon raised his voice, stepping closer to him. “You don’t understand anything, do you?” 

“What’s there to understand?” Louis shouts. “Tell me, Marlon, since I’m too stupid to get it!”

“I  _ like  _ Clementine, you idiot!” Marlon retorts, and Louis feels his mouth fall open involuntarily. “But she likes you! So I’m  _ stuck with Brody _ !” 

Anger dilates his glare. Louis shoves Marlon back. “You aren’t _ stuck  _ with Brody, you jerk! If you hate her that much then break up with her! Be a decent human being!” he snaps. “Stay away from Clementine with that attitude, while you’re at it!” 

“Me, stay away from Clementine?” Marlon chuckles. The afternoon shadows makes him look almost dangerous and Louis feels a shiver rush down his spine. “Why would I do that?  _ You _ stay away from Clem, Louis.” 

“Fat chance!” Louis rebuffs angrily. “You don’t get to hurt a girl and take claim over another. That isn’t how it works! Apologize and break up with Brody properly before even thinking about Clementine,” he’s nose to nose with the blonde, resentment boiling in his gaze. He doesn’t know where all of this anger is coming from, but it feels justified. “And even if she gets over her disgust, I doubt she’ll return your feelings.”

Before he could even blink Marlon had cocked his fist and sent Louis sprawling backwards. His nose felt puffy (it was probably broken) and he struggled to stand. Blood made its way down his nose and dripped off his chin. The bell rang to signal the end of 5th period, but neither moved. 

“You...” Louis interrupted himself by spitting blood onto the hot pavement. “I don’t even  _ know _ you, Marlon.”

“Better get to class,” Marlon smirks. He looked unaffected by this entire thing. “This isn’t over, Louis.”

“Definitely not,” Louis agrees. “Don’t forget what I said, Marlon.”

\--

“What the hell  _ happened  _ to you?” Violet gaped when he sat down in Economics. Louis had hurriedly explained to the teacher that he just had a bloody nose, preferring to stay in class then visit the nurse, but he could tell she didn’t believe him.

“Marlon happened,” Louis hissed, then in an undertone explained what had happened. Violet, he was relieved to see, was downright pissed off.

“Poor Clem,” Vi shakes her head. “We’re going to the doctor after school to look at your nose, Lou, it’s probably broken.”

“I don’t want my Dad to know, Vi,” Louis protests immediately. He had opened up to her, Brody, and Marlon about his Dad after the initial prompting from Clementine, and hadn’t regretted it until now. With Marlon, obviously - Brody and Vi had been nothing but supportive. 

“Screw your Dad, Louis,” Violet says. Then she blushes. “...Not like that! Oh my god - 

Louis laughs, but falters under the glare from Violet. “Vi, please - 

“I’ll buy us dinner,” Violet offers immediately.

“Aww, Vi! You care about me?” Louis places his hands over his heart, then immediately regrets it when blood drips onto the table. Cursing, he pulls the tissues closer and mops the droplets up.

“Just so you’ll stop dripping everywhere,” Violet grimances, pushing her stuff to the other side of the table. But she eyes him with concern when she thinks he isn’t looking, and it warms his heart.

\--

“Fight with another boy?” The doctor asked, taking Louis’s face into his hands gingerly. They had washed his face, but the bruising was significant and they actually needed a doctor to come in and take a look. Vi sat on the chair, watching. 

“Uh, yeah, something like that.” Louis answers passively, fighting the urge to pick at his nails. “Horseplay. We were just messing around.”

“Well, there’s good news.” His doctor sits back in his chair. “It isn’t broken. There isn’t any swelling and your nasal passages aren’t blocked.” 

“That’s fantastic!” Louis exclaims, but the doctor’s not done.

“However, it’ll definitely be sore for a couple weeks, and the bruising will take awhile to go away. Would you like pain medication to help? Provided, we’ll have to call your parents for that -”

“No, I’ll be okay,” Louis says immediately. “Thank you anyway, though.”

“Okay, then. Keep it clean, and clock back in if you feel any extreme pain and we’ll take another look,” the doctor glances at Violet. “Please try to keep out of any more  _ horseplay _ , especially around your face,” he smiled slightly, standing. Louis winced, realizing that the older man didn’t believe him. He really sucked at lying.

“Thank you, sir,” Louis returned his smile sheepishly. He swore he saw Violet rolling her eyes.

\--

As Vi’s pickup and Louis’s convertible pulled into McDonald’s (per Vi’s request, of course), Louis got yet another surprise. Clementine leaned against the side of the building, glaring at him as he got out of the car. Vi got out of her truck slowly, hanging back as Clementine stalked up to the taller boy.

“You’re! An! Idiot!” Clementine seethed, punching his shoulder every word she spoke. “I  _ told _ you not to talk to Marlon until Brody was ready! And you did it anyway!”

“Clem,” he laughed, trying to grab her wrists, because _ ouch that actually hurts _ . “I wanted to hear Marlon’s side of the story before judging him - wait, how did you know we were here?”

“Vi,” Clementine says breathlessly. “She called me and was basically like ‘Louis fought Marlon, meet us at McDonald’s!’ I had to beg Lee to let me use his car!” They both turn to stare at Violet, who waves at the two of them with a small grin.

“Vi!” Louis whines. “Why’d you call her?” 

“What? I thought you would be happy to see your girlfriend,” Violet doesn’t even look remotely abashed as Clementine and Louis both glare at her. “Plus, she needs to hear what happened, Louis.”

“Yeah, you’re right, she does.” Louis agrees. “Come on, we can talk about this over McDonald's disgusting food.”

“Hey!” Violet complains. 

Ten minutes later, the three are situated in a booth - Clementine and Violet sitting across from Louis. True to her word, Vi bought Louis McDonald’s fries (since that was the only good thing there) and he was snacking on them with Clementine while Vi munched on her chicken nuggets.

“No offense, but you look horrible,” Clem frowned, looking him over in concern.

Louis laughs. “None taken, Clemmy. It looks worse than it is, promise.”

“Tell her what happened,” Vi said impatiently, throwing a napkin at him. “And what Marlon said!” 

So he recounted his encounter with the blonde. Clementine watched him silently, shock drawing in her eyes as he described their conversation, careful not to exaggerate. As much as he despised Marlon at that moment, he knew Clem needed to draw her own conclusions, like he did. But he couldn’t contain the bitterness that laced his words as he got to the final part of his story.

“Then he punches me, and I fall down, right? My nose is bleeding, and there’s even blood in my mouth! But I get up, and the bell rings, but we’re both just standing there.. and then I’m all “I don’t even know you,” because, for the life of me, I really don’t! And then he’s all “Better get to class, this isn’t over,” with this ugly smirk, like it didn’t even phase him that he just punched me! But I glare at him and I’m like “Don’t forget what I said.” And then I leave,” Louis concludes, stuffing another fry into his mouth.

“Louis,” Clementine begins, but he’s watching her hair catch brilliantly against the sunset filtering in through the windows. It’s down today, something she rarely does. It’s usually up in a side bun or a messy bun, but Louis thinks it looks the best down. Her eyes are easily the prettiest thing he’s ever seen in his entire life, golden brown...or hazel? Either way, they’re gorgeous.  _ She’s  _ gorgeous.

“Louis!” Violet throws something at his face and he flinches. “We all know you find Clementine stunning, but don’t stare at her and mutter “goregous” under your breath when she’s talking, you idiot!”

“Viii!” he’s blushing. Clementine is, too, by the way she’s hiding her face. “I hate you…”

“When are you guys going to  _ date _ …” Violet groans, burying her head into her hands. “You’re both so hopeless…”

“A-Anyway,” Clementine’s furiously looking everywhere but his eyes. “Thanks for defending Brody, it’ll mean a lot to her. And...and me, too....” she’s looking at his mouth determinedly at this point. “You were right. I wouldn’t date him, especially after the things he’s said about Brody and how he’s treated you.”

“Yeah Clem, of course.” Louis is just so relieved she’s not mad at him. She smiles at him, cheeks still burning, and he feels this swoop in his stomach. 

_ Oh my god, I like her. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm speechelhss i love them so mcu
> 
> pls u guys my heart is all!! clementine! louis! them! (and vi!! violet!!!)
> 
> how do u guys feel abt marlon :o


	8. Once In A Lifetime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> louis's pov :)
> 
> read the chapter ending thingy at the end hehe

“So, you’re gonna do it, huh?” Louis peers suspiciously up at Sophie, who in turn was smirking slightly, scribbling away in her notebook. “Are you gonna ask Clem out?”

“Sophie, Sophie, Sophie,” Louis sighs, shaking his head. He had 3rd hour English with her, and like the fool he was he volunteered to work with the “nice twin”. She was so nosy! “There’s a time and a place for everything, sister! Give me a minute!” 

“It’s been several,” Sophie narrows her eyes. “You should ask her out during the Halloween party, before you lose your nerve completely.” 

“My nerves are very much intact, thank you,” Louis huffs, but made no other attempt to deny her claim. “The Halloween party? We’re still doing that?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Well...Mitch blew up a pumpkin last year -”

“Anyway!” Sophie flaps her hand, dissolving that thought. “Everyone’s coming, Clementine being our only new arrival. I think she’s bringing AJ, too.”

“This isn’t an alcohol party, right? If we’re going to have not only AJ, but Tenn and Willy there too...”

“Believe me, my parents would  _ kill  _ both Minnie and I if we had anything to do with intoxicating the children!” Sophie gasped, offended. “Are you going to start on the rough draft?” She gestures at his hands, which were tapping subconsciously at the table.

“Already finished it,” Louis stuck his tongue out. “Maybe you should focus on our project instead of the Halloween party, which is like, weeks away.”

“It’s this weekend, idiot.” Sophie rolled her eyes. “It’s a big deal.”

“When you said everyone was coming…” Louis broke off, not wanting to finish his sentence. “You meant everyone except Marlon, right?”

“He’s coming too,” Sophie looks troubled for the first time in their entire conversation, not meeting his eyes. When he opened his mouth to retaliate, she stumbled on quickly. “Look, it’s been two weeks since you guys fought and he’s barely been coming to school -

“He  _ hit _ Brody! There’s something wrong, Soph.”

“So we’re just supposed to abandon him? Is there no atonement for his actions?”

“If he apologized to Brody and broke up with her properly, I would forgive him,” Louis says quietly. “But it’s his call, not mine.”

The bell rang, interrupting whatever Sophie was going to say. Automatically kids started packing up and leaving the library, either going to lunch or their next class. Sophie and Louis stood, stacking their papers in their binders. Sophie had B lunch, along with Vi, Minnie, James, and Mitch, so her lunch was later that day.

“I’ll walk you to class,” Louis offers. “I’m buying Clem something today anyway, your class is right next to the machine.” 

Sophie nods, looking grateful for the subject change, and they leave the library amongst the sea of students.

“You’re buying something for Clem?” He doesn’t have to look at her to see her smirk. “Cute.”

“Shut up!” Louis protests. “She doesn’t have time to eat in the morning.”

“I’m joking, Lou. We tease you about it, but we really do love you both together. She seems genuinely happy with you around, vice versa with her. Promise.”

“Thanks, Sophie,” Louis says as they reach her classroom. “See you later.” He turns and walks a little further down the hall to the vending machine. Swiping his credit card, he types in the number 23 and impatiently waits for the chip bag to fall to the opening below. 

Believe it or not, it doesn’t move. Louis groans, wondering if he should shake the machine. It would totally look like he was insane, but he’s sure he has enough strength to jostle it down. 

“Louis?” A voice shakes him from his thoughts. Low and behold, it’s Clem. Louis feels his chest swoop dangerously.  _ Wow, that’s familiar. _

“Hiya Clemmy!” Louis steps back from the vending machine. “I was just -

“Buying food for me? Again?” Clementine shakes her head with a little grin. “You don’t need to, y’know….”

“Not to be cheesy or anything, but I really want to,” Louis mirrored her grin, though his expression quickly turned to disgust as he stared at the chip bag. “It won’t come down,” he complained.

Clementine laughed, coming over to join him. “Come on, Lou, I’m not even that hungry today,” she exclaimed. “Let’s just go to the table.”

“Clem, you need to eat - 

“I’ll be fine!” she reassured. “Omar will just give me one of his apples, he’s sexy like that.”

“Fine! Okay then!” Louis grumbled good - naturally, following her down the hallway. He seemed unaware of her glancing over to him with fond expressions gracing her face. “How’s choir going?”

“Our first concert is next week!” Clementine says quickly, adjusting her stare on the tiles in front of them as she tries to latch onto the subject change. “Can you...I mean -

“Can I come?” Louis blurted out, hating himself because  _ what if it was too early? _ She doesn’t answer him for a moment, trying to formulate a response without squeaking. When she nods timidly, he fistpumps the air.

“AJ was talking about you,” Clem’s still not looking at him, but she definitely notices when he scoots closer. “He likes you a lot. Lee too, I mean. Sorry if it’s weird.”

“Clem, I literally love your family, don’t ever apologize on their behalf again.” Louis can’t explain how  _ good _ it feels to have the Everett family caring about him. Lee was so understanding, so willing to give him an outlet, and as an only child Louis had never experienced the brotherly bond he had with AJ. And of course, Clementine… “What was he saying?”

“Asking when we’re gonna date,” Clementine mumbles shyly. “Like everyone else.”

Louis almost hacks up a lung then and there, and he’s never been so grateful to see the cafeteria. He’s not ready to have this conversation yet, and by the look on her face, she isn’t either.

Their friends only continue to torture them more relentlessly with knowing grins and teases. 

\-- 

He’s sitting, perched against his windowsill with a book in his hand and his music playing idly in the background. He’s completely relaxed, relishing in the fact that his father wasn’t home for the week when the messages start pouring in. One after another - it's completely disrupting the peace he was trying so hard to maintain. He frowns and grabs it from its place, wondering if it was just the groupchat spamming again. 

But no, it was just Clementine, messaging him privately. 

_ clxmentinemarsh: lou _

_ clxmentinemarsh: can we talk  _

_ clxmentinemarsh: please _

Immediately he dials her number, heart rate picking up drastically. He could tell from her texts that something was off.

When the call connects, he wants to say a million things at once. But the sound of her crying has him speechless. “Clem?” he’s asking, quiet. “Are you okay?”

She couldn’t even answer him, clearly struggling to breathe. “Lou - Louis -”

“Take deep breaths,” he says, digging his nails into his skin as he jumps up, grabbing his keys and slamming through the door, taking the stairs down as quick as he can. He barrels through his front door and is halfway to his car but turns back and locks it (shuddering at what his father would do to him if something were to happen to their house) He hurries back to the car and turns the key in the ignition, slamming on the accelerator and peeling down the streets to her house. She’s sobbing in his ear, and he doesn’t know what’s happening with her but all he knows is that he  _ has _ to get to her. 

The streets are so familiar at this point - he’s been over here the past couple months that much. Whether it be hangouts with the entire group or just him and Clem, he usually took comfort in the streets and fields and surrounding forest. Not tonight.

He reaches her house and gets out before the wheels have even stopped moving, halfway to her door before he can register that Lee’s car was missing. “I’m at the door, Clem. I’m outside.” 

She doesn’t reply, but a minute later the door creaks open, showcasing the girl who had become such a prominent and a big part of his life in such a short amount of time. Her dark hair hang loosely down and contrasted against the pale white sweatshirt he recognized as his own. She held out her arms and he immediately steps forward and encases her with a hug, wrapping his arms around her completely and pulling her close. “Where’s Lee?” he asks softly. 

“He and AJ went out to dinner and I stayed behind,” she mumbled against the rough fabric of his shirt. “I’m sorry.” 

“For what, babe?” he pulls away slightly so he can see her. Tears were still running down her face, but when their eyes meet she smiles with such affection it makes his heart ache. They’ve unintentionally crafted this moment so it’s just for them, so that they could stand together in the quiet darkness where their only other source of light was the blazing moon high in the sky. 

“For calling you out here when I can’t even begin to explain my problems,” she replies softly. He smiles and takes her hands slowly in his own. He likes her. He’s known for awhile, of course, but it’s become so extremely clear now. He physically  _ aches  _ to finally tell her and ask her if these feelings were repriocated. 

“Let’s go,” he says instead, squeezing her hands. When she shoots him a confused look, he just shrugs. “I’ll show you where I go when I get upset.” Mystified, she follows him back to his car and takes shotgun wordlessly. Now that he knows she’s safe he’s not as hectic when he drives, weaving out of her neighborhood and through the quiet country roads. She alternates between watching him and staring out the window, drumming her fingers softly on the seats. When they get to their destination, he grins as he watches her mouth fall open. 

“Louis…” she says, astounded. They’ve stopped in front of a sweeping open field encased in forest. There’s a small lake over to the left, with a huge drooping willow tree at the banks. The stars twinkle in the sky with the moon hanging over them. It’s magical - a secret paradise that he trusted her enough to indulge her in.

“This place is secret - I come here to get away from everything every once in awhile and no one knows where I am,” he pulled the key out of the ignition with a wistful expression, avoiding her eyes. “It’s not Narnia, I know, but its -

“I love it!” she cuts him off, face lit up in enough excitement to light up a city. “It’s so gorgeous, Lou!” and he doesn’t have enough time to get another word in before she jumps out of the car and instantly sprints down the hill. He laughs and follows her, tripping clumsily like he always does and more or less falls down the hill. She stops in the middle of the field, panting slightly and waiting for him to catch up. “I love it here,” she says breathlessly, reaching out to tangle her fingers with his. “I feel safe out here, like...like…”

“Like no one can hurt you?” he guessed quietly, earning a slight squeeze and a little nod. “Clem, babe, you gotta tell me - are you okay?” If the slight panic in his voice didn’t get her to talk, he didn’t know what would.

“I’m...I don’t know. I feel okay, you know? Cause I’m with you, obviously, and I’m out here and it’s peaceful. But earlier - I don’t get them that often anymore, not since we moved. But it was horrible, Louis. I had no control - I couldn’t see and no one was there and I didn’t want to bother anyone but I couldn’t breathe and my mind’s a minefield! And I’m just....so fucking messed up, and I feel like everyone can see it, and -” she looks up at him, and he instantly regrets asking if she was okay because it’s clear asking her that simple question caused all of the joy he helped create seconds ago evaporate. Her breathing has unintentionally gotten faster and raspier and he struggled to stay calm. He could do this. 

“Clem,” Louis soothed her, speaking slowly and calmly and grounding her with his voice. Her eyes widen but they stay locked on his. “You’re the bravest person I know. Whatever these thoughts you have are, they aren’t true. You can get through this, I know you can.”

She’s trying desperately to listen to his words, he can see it - she’s already beginning to calm down. The sight causes his own anxiety to curb a little, and he takes her other hand and pulls her down to the grass, just listening to her breathe. After about five minutes (her panting had subsided) she pulled away and grumbles, “It’s fucking cold.”

Louis can’t help it, he laughs. “You wanna go back?”

“Back home? No way,” she says, but it’s devoid of its usual quip and it falls flat on the pair. Louis stands in the middle of that field, reaching out a hand to the girl he would move the moon for. Her smaller hand takes his outstretched limb and he pulls her up. The two of them wordlessly make their way back to his convertible. 

“Stay here,” he leaves her at the head of his car and pops his trunk with a jingle of his car keys, grabbing a blanket and shutting it with a soft clink. “Hop up!” he indicates as he heads back to the front of the car and jumps up on the front. She raises an eyebrow but eventually shrugs and jumps up there with him. They wiggle back so their heads are resting on the windshield and Louis spreads the blanket over them. He ought to feel embarrassed, or even concerned because of how close she was, but he feels a strange sense of calm. The turmoil everywhere else has disappeared. It’s just the two of them.

“It’s….it’s beautiful.” Clem says, and he glances over to see what she’s talking about, only to have his eyes lifted towards the sky. It’s gotta be the most stars he’s ever seen - he’s properly shocked and definitely in awe. Beautiful seems too lame to describe how stunning and magical the sight was, but he’s inclined to agree. “Thank you,” she adds after a moment.

“That’s the second time you’ve thanked me tonight,” Louis says, still gazing upwards.

“How very observant of you,” she giggles.

“Do you have, like, a thanking kink or something -

“Louis!” she gasps, bursting into laughter. “I can’t believe you sometimes - 

“You like me anyway,” Louis retorts in an undertone. She’s silent for a minute.

“Yeah. Yeah I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi u guys! i missed y'all and this story so much omg
> 
> sorry for the absence :( has it rly been?? that long since i last updated?? i hope y'all forgive me for that! 2019 was NOT kind to me but i'll definitely try n be better <3
> 
> i figured if i was gonna make u guys all wait that long i might make shit happen so! shit happened! romantic shit happened! back to the drama next chapter! halloween party,,, oooh sexy

**Author's Note:**

> hi this is my first EVER work on archive and i'm super nervous we >:(


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